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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Senate has urged the federal government to withhold the statutory allocation of local governments without democratically elected officials.
This followed a motion by Senator Abba Moro (Benue South), titled, “Urgent need to halt the erosion of democracy: the dissolution of elected councils in Benue State,” during Friday’s plenary.
Recall that Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, sacked the elected local government officials in the state and replaced them with caretaker committees.
The Senate condemned the arbitrary dissolution of democratically elected local government officials in Benue and other states across the country, urging the Benue State Governor to adhere to his oath of office, obey the rule of law and defend the constitution.
Leading the motion on the debate, Moro said replacing elected councils with a caretaker committees was an aberration and alien to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
Quoting Section (1) of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees a system of local government by democratically elected councils, Moro said the law placed the responsibility on every state to ensure the existence of local government councils.
He noted that there were subsisting court rulings directing the governor, House of Assembly, their agents, privies not to tamper with the tenure of the elected councils.
The Senator added that neither the governor nor the state government had appealed these judgements.
Contributing, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North), said about 16 states in Nigeria are currently without democratically elected council officials.
He said the Senate should direct the Finance Minister to stop funding local governments without elected council officials. The suggestion was supported by Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South).
Abdulfatai Buhari (Oyo North), in his own submission, said the Electoral Act should be amended to empower the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct local government elections.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, frowned at the establishment of multiple federal agencies, but advocated the creation of the National Electoral Commission for Local Government so that governors would no longer have overbearing influence on council elections.